Vehicle parking structures are constructed primarily of concrete reinforced with steel. In regions of the country where road salts, particularly sodium and calcium salts, are used to de-ice streets and roadways, concrete parking facilities are exposed to a great deal of salt and salt water carried by vehicles which enter and use the parking structures.
The deleterious effects of road salt on reinforced concrete parking structures due to erosion and corrosion are well documented. The deterioration and failure of concrete parking structures is believed due to corrosion of the structure's reinforcing steel, and erosion of the concrete, caused by the alkaline road salts.
In structures which utilize post-stressed reinforcing steel elements, which is quite commonly used, the reinforcing steel is typically exposed to road salts at the perimeter of the structure and thus is susceptible to corrosion from road salt water that flows over the edges of the concrete floor slabs. In the case of unexposed reinforcing steel, the road salt water is believed to penetrate the concrete itself, causing erosion of the concrete floor slabs, as well as corrosion of the steel reinforcements embedded therein. Furthermore, the parapet walls and barricades used in parking structures are typically mounted on vertical support rods which extend upwardly from the concrete floor slabs. Since there is typically a gap between the horizontal floor slabs and the vertical walls or barricades, the road salt water may seep or flow therebetween and attack the support rods holding the walls in place.
Currently there are approximately 14,000-20,000 vehicle parking structures in the United States alone, and new facilities are being constructed all the time. The repair and reconstruction of existing facilities due to road salt corrosive deterioration is time consuming, expensive, and disruptive to continued usage of the facility. Meanwhile, in the construction of new facilities, attempts are being made to combat the problems associated with road salt corrosion by the use of new materials. However, since the newest technologies are relatively recent developments, their efficacy in long-term resistance to corrosive and erosive attack by road salt is not known.
Additional problems encountered in parking structures, particularly in the areas where vehicles are parked, are the oil spots and stains which develop from oil that drips from parked vehicles. Such oil spots are both unsightly and may present safety problems since they tend to be slippery, and thus it is necessary to clean and remove these spots as part of the facility maintenance program.
The system and method of the present invention are intended to arrest the deterioration problems experienced in concrete parking facilities due to road salt exposure, while at the same time providing for the removal of oil spots, all in an economical, effective and relatively undisruptive manner.